Schwansener See (17/3/12)

The map above shows the route I took to get to the reserve in blue and the route I took around the reserve in green.

I left to go to the reserve by bike at around 8:30 am. On the way to the reserve I didn't see many birds mainly just the normal stuff like Skylark, Eider, Goldeneye and Grey Heron. The trip took me about three quatres of an hour. When I arrived the first thing I saw were Greylag Geese. as I started to walk more onto the reserve I relised how cold it was, at first it was very cloudy and after maybe about an hour or so it began to clear up. As it began to clear up it enabled me to see the birds better. As I walked along a bird began to call after a while it started to get a bit annoying and so I decided to look for it it turned out to be a Reed Bunting as I was looking at it another one flow past and I decided to follow that one it then brought my attention to two Shelducks and a swan behind them at first I thought the swan was a Mute Swan but then as it lifted its head from its bely I saw the yellow bill and black on it and relised it was a Whopper Swan. As I carried on I believe I flushed a Kestrel Which made some crows fly up. I carried on walking and found a very small lake which looked like it could have been made by rain fall I looked through my bins and saw some Teal at first then I looked to the side and saw Shoveler and Shelducks. After a while of looking at the small lake I saw a Lapwing wading around which made me see a Plover which in the end I was unable to ID (most likely a Little Ringed Plover). I lost it and then found another which this time I was able to ID it was a Little Ringed Plover. Then two Ringed Plovers flow over from the sea and passed me and I was able to ID them because I saw some yellow on the bill. As I carried on I saw nothing interesting other then some more Lapwings and Reed Buntings. When I came to the sea and walked along every now and then two Ringed Plovers would fly up and onto the reserve. Aswell as that I managed to see 4 Red-breasted Merganser 3 males and 1 female the males were courting with the female as seen in the second photograph. They also came very close at one point which allowed me to get some good photographs.

The first picture shows how the lake and the sea were so close together.